STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen led his 2009 team onto the Shira Complex Practice Fields for the first time Tuesday, putting his troops through a three-hour workout.

“We have a long way to go, but the guys came out today and gave great effort,” Mullen said. “We have a lot of execution to work on and learning to do the next two days, but the effort was good.”

The entire 97-man squad took part in the first day of drills, with only a few players limited from full-speed work. Running back Robert Elliot (knee), wide receiver Andrew Ellard (knee) and Mark Melichar (illness) did not participate in team drills.

Tuesday’s workout was the first of an NCAA-mandated 15 practice sessions, and limited to helmets only. The Bulldogs will practice again on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.

All practices are open to the public, however no video or still photography is allowed after the first 15 minutes of practice.